126 REPORTS ON THE STATE OF SCIENCE,—1914. 
F.R.S., who has given advice and help of great value during the time 
which was spent in his Laboratory in working up the materials obtained 
To Captain Lorens Bruun and Mr. D. Bingham sincere thanks are 
due from Mr. Daniel and myself for the way in which they assisted us 
at the Station. We would also wish to mention that on many occasions 
the men employed at the Station helped us in the most obliging manner. 
Two steamers continue to be used, both fitted with wireless tele- 
graphy, which is employed solely for communication between the boats. 
As a result of the possession of this apparatus, if one boat finds whales 
in numbers too great to be dealt with unaided, the other steamer may be 
called up to assist in making the most of a fortunate find. 
Burfield? has stated the disadvantages of work at a commercial 
factory, and I wish to lay particular emphasis on the rarity with which 
really fresh whales are brought in. It is exceptional for a whale to be 
anything other than decomposing. Even in those sufficiently fresh to 
be fit for food the carcase is quite hot in the deeper parts owing to 
decomposition, while in the other cases carcases lying on the flensing 
plane fizzle and splutter wherever a cut in the blubber permits the 
internal gases to blow off. 
Sperm Whales are particularly obnoxious, as they are brought from 
considerable distances. They are frequently caught at Rockall, 240 
miles away, and they smell strongly of cuttlefish. In two Sperm 
Whales which we saw part of the intestine was blown out through 
the back of the animal by pressure of gases produced by decomposition, 
and from one specimen a great spout of blood and oil was projected 
with considerable force over one of the investigators. 
About thirty-eight Irishmen and fifteen Norwegians are employed 
when work is in full swing. Of the Irishmen one is timekeeper and 
another is second flenser, but all the other skilled workmen are 
Norwegians. 
The 1913 season was the best which the Blacksod Bay Whaling 
Company has had up to the present. Sixty-four whales were brought 
in. The whalemen state from their experience that in fine, calm 
weather the whales go far out for food, and it is the case that during 
the splendid weather of August very few were taken. But the largest 
number of whales for a given number of days was brought in between 
August 27 and September 9, when the weather was still fairly fine. 
Nearly three thousand barrels of oil were shipped to Glasgow, to which 
port all the produce of this Station is sent. There were also manu- 
factured about fifteen hundred bags of guano. 
All whale oils at present average 201. per ton (=54 barrels), 
sperm oil and spermaceti having fallen considerably since 1911. The 
oil is used for the manufacture of explosives, soap, &c., with the excep- 
tion of the two sperm products. The oil of the Sperm Whale is used 
for lubrication only, while spermaceti is largely utilised in the manu- 
facture of church candles. 
Whalebone from Balenoptera musculus and B. sibbaldii is now 
651. per ton. The baleen of Megaptera is of very inferior quality, 
7 Op. cit., p. 146. 
